December i, 



1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



43' 



With the above table before, you, the question 

 naturally arises, why should there bo such a falling- 

 off in 1877, that is, crop 1*77-78? Simply because 

 the wet weather in September was so continuous 

 and severe, that, instead of blossom, we had a 

 tremendous quantity o£ young wood out, which 

 had to be removed, and thereby threw the trees into 

 heavy blossom in March ; the trees have not re- 

 covered from the effects of the change. If this state 

 of affairs applies to Haputale low places generally, 

 it would be welt if some of your able correspondents 

 would come forward with their opinions. 



Although I am not an authority on pruning, nor 

 have I any patent process* for overcoming the effects 

 of leaf-disease and change of seasons, yet perhaps it 

 may not be out of place to say here, that, if it could 

 only be shown that a liberal allowance for pruning is 

 more frequently than otherwise attended with good 

 results, even in these times of short crops, more at- 

 tention and mouey would be bestowed ou it. Methods 

 of pruning are so various that I have no desire to 

 raise any discussion on this point ; but the time of knife- 

 pruning, so far as practicable, should be from January 

 to middle of March, to throw the crops more into 

 spring, as the spring crop is not so liable so the same 

 percentage of light as the autumn. For autumn crop, 

 knite-prunning in June, July and August gives wood 

 and blossom in the following spring. 



I quite sympathize with an Indian correspondent who 

 was lately complaining that discussions as to coffee 

 culture have been supplanted by tea. This ought not 

 to be. We have valuable coffee, and it requires more 

 culture now than ever, and it will revive if a little 

 more consideration and kindness be ahowu towards 

 it. Planter 



THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA AND CINCHONA 

 CULTURE. 



We take from the Times of India a very interesting 

 risumi (given below) of « series of papers which have 

 been issued on the growth of cinchonas and the manu- 

 facture of febrifuges on behalf of the Indian Government. 

 The stocks of alkaloids in London seem to have 

 accumulated, and the very proper step is to be taken 

 of distributing febrifuges cheaply amongst the people 

 of India. Although a large percentage of alkaloids 

 iB lost by manufacture in India, it is yet held that 

 the fact of such manufacture being carried on reduced 

 the cost of quinine in the market and enabled the 

 Government of India to supply a cheap febrifuge to 

 the masses of the people. A fierce controversy has 

 raged about the question which is not yet settled. As 

 to the present glut and low prices, no doubt, Professor 

 Lawson is correct in stating that a change will soon 

 take place. We hold now, as we have ever held, that 

 the Government ot Iudia by information imparted has 

 done more good to private planters than their com- 

 petition has done harm. But the questions of manu- 

 facturing alkaloids in India or London, or buying in 

 the open market, are certainly open ones. 



THE CULTIVATION OF CINCHONA. 



An interesting set of papers relative to the position of 

 Government respecting the cultivation of cinchona has just 

 been issued by the Government of India. The papers in- 

 clude a valuable report by Mr. Danvers, of the Iudia Office, 

 tracing the history from 1800, when Mr. Markham first 

 opened a cinchona plantation for the Government at 

 Ootacamund. In 1803 the success already attained war- 

 ranted sanctiou being accorded for extending tin* plant- 

 ation, at the rate or 150 acres yearly. All barks wore sent 

 home for sale until 1866, when a quinologist was appointed, 

 and the manufacture locally of the febrifuge undertaken. 

 The first results reported were highly efficacious, but in 1871 

 the question as to the propriety of the State maintaining 



these plantations was raised. It was decided to continue 

 them as heretofore, but not to manufacture locally, all 

 bark being instead sent to London. The growth of ein- 

 chona expressly for sale in London being the deliberate 

 policy of the Government. In 1875, however, Mr. J. W. 

 B. Mouey, a cinchona planter, wrote to the .Secretary of 

 State complaining of the Government interfering with trade. 

 He urged withdrawal, as the Government had, he alleged, 

 assured the planters that it would not compete against 

 them, and finally offered to buy up the Government 

 plantation. On reference, the Government of India stated 

 that it had no cognizance of any such assurance, but re- 

 commended that for the present the Madras Government 

 should direct its efforts chiefly to establishing a local manu- 

 factory for a cheap febrifuge, and should restriet, their 

 despatches of bark to Europe to small parcels, in view to 

 gauging practically the prices ruling in London, and not 

 as a commercial speculation. But as the bark was still 

 sent home, the Secretary of State in 1878 remarked that to 

 continue this practice merely for commercial purposes, and 

 so to compete with trade, was to go altogether beyond the 

 purposes for which the Government plantations were es- 

 tablished. On receipt of this despatch, the Madras Gov- 

 ernment appointed a committee to consider the matter. 

 The committee reported that it considered the sending 

 of the bark was not only free from objection itself, but had 

 contributed more than any other circumstance to the em- 

 barkation of private enterprize in the cultivation of 

 cinchona. The Madras Government adopted this view, and 

 urged that the local manufacture into febrifuge was not 

 practicable. In 1881 Captain Price, M. P., asked in Par- 

 liameut whether it was a fact that the Indian Govern- 

 ment was exporting large quantities of cinchona bark to 

 London, and whether in introducing the cinchona plant 

 the Government did so to encourage private enterprize, 

 or to compete with private trade. Lord Hartington 

 replied that the object of Government in introduc- 

 ing the cinchona plant into India was to provide 

 an abundant supply of cheap febrifuge for India. 

 It was not found practicable to manufacture in Madras, 

 and hence the bark was sent home, but that au experi- 

 ment was being tried on a large scale to manufacture bark 

 in England and if successful sales would be discon- 

 tinued. The sales were discontinued accordingly, and all 

 barks received were handed over to the manufact- 

 urers ; the outcome being sent to India in response 

 to annual indents. But the accumulation of the several 

 preparations from cinchona has largely infireased, and 

 continues to erceed the annual demands. The disposal 

 of these increasing stocks becomes a matter of importance 

 as the following figures show: — 



Amount Average annual 



in Store. supply to India, 



lb. oz. lb. 



Quinine Sulphas . . 3,660 2 ... 1,482 

 Liquor of Amorphous 



Quinine 641 ... 84 



Cinchonidine Sulphas... 100 8 ... 383 



Oinchonine do ... 39 11 ... 578 



Do. Alkaloid... 251 ... 32 



Cinchona Febrifuge ... 7,570 8 ... nil 



Mixed Tartrates 218 4 ... 11 



As tending to reduce stock it was recommended that 

 the manufacturers, Messrs. Howard k Sons, be paid in bark, 

 and that the local sales of bark in Madres be tried. Be- 

 fore giving effect to these recommendations the legal ad- 

 viser to the Secretary of State was asked whether the 

 free action of Government in this respect was in any way 

 restricted by the provisions of 3 and 4 Will. IV., chapter 

 85 (the Company's Charter Act of 1833), so far as they 

 relate 1 to the transaction coming witbiu the designation 

 of commercial business. He replied thus: — "it seems to 

 me that tho provisions of the Charter Act of 1S33 have 

 nothing to do with the matter, the East India Company 

 as the governing authority being defunct." He further 

 added:—"] can see no reason in the complaint against the 

 growth and silo of cinchona by Government. It is a ques- 

 tion of policy aud not of law, and stands on the same fool 

 in*,' as the, sale of Government forest timber and other pro 

 duets of Government lands." This difficulty being thus re- 

 moved, and the absence of factories in India supporting 

 the advisability of sending bark home, matters remained 





